The Abominations of Modern Society eBook

But the enchantment cannot thus be broken. It
hides in the bottom of the bowl; and not until a man
is entirely fallen does the monster lift itself up,
and strike with its terrific fangs, and answer all
his implorations for mercy with fiendish hiss.
We must arouse public opinion, until city, State,
and national officials shall no longer dare to neglect
the execution of the law. We have enough enactments
now to revolutionize our cities and strike terror through
the drinking-houses and gambling-dens and houses of
sin. Tracts distributed will not do it; Bibles
printed will not accomplish it; city missionaries
have not power for the work.

Will tracts do it? As well try with three
or four snow-flakes to put out Cotapaxi!

We want police officers, common councilmen, aldermen,
sheriffs, mayors, who will execute the law. Give
us for two weeks in our cities an honest city hall,
and public pollution would fall like lightning from
heaven!

If you republicans, and you democrats, do not do your
duty in this regard, we will, after a while, form
a party of our own, and put men in position pledged
to anti-rum, anti-dirt, anti-nuisances, anti-monopolies,
anti-abominations, and will give to those of you who
have been so long feeding on public spoils, careless
of public morals, not so much as the wages of a street
sweeper.

We are not discouraged. It may seem to many that
all of our battling against these evils will come
to naught. But if the coral insects can lift
an island, our feeble efforts, under God, may raise
a break-water that will dash back the surges of municipal
abomination. Beside, we toil not in our own strength.

It seemed insignificant for Moses to stretch his hand
over the Red Sea. What power could that have
over the waters? But the east wind blew all night;
the waters gathered into two glittering palisades on
either side. The billows reared as God’s
hand pulled back upon their crystal bits. Wheel
into line, O Israel! March! March! Pearls
crash under the feet. The flying spray springs
a rainbow arch over the victors. The shout of
hosts mounting the beach answers the shout of hosts
mid-sea; until, as the last line of the Israelites
have gained the beach, the shields clang, and the
cymbals clap; and as the waters whelm the pursuing
foe, the swift-fingered winds on the white keys of
the foam play the grand march of Israel delivered,
and the awful dirge of Egyptian overthrow.

So we go forth; and stretch out the hand of prayer
and Christian effort over these dark, boiling waters
of crime and suffering. “Aha! Aha!”
say the deriding world. But wait. The winds
of divine help will begin to blow; the way will clear
for the great army of Christian philanthropists; the
glittering treasures of the world’s beneficence
will line the path of our feet; and to the other shore
we will be greeted with the clash of all heaven’s
cymbals; while those who resist and deride and pursue
us will fall under the sea, and there will be nothing
left of them but here and there, cast high and dry
upon the beach, the splintered wheel of a chariot,
and, thrust out from the surf, the breathless nostril
of a riderless charger.